The spaso house

The Spaso House is close to the Arbat, in Spasopeskovskaya ploshad 10. Since 1933 it serves as the residence of the American ambassador. Bulgakov found his inspiration in this house - and the notorious reception which took place here - to describe the Grand Ball of Satan in the novel.

In the 17th century, the vicinity of the Spaso House was populated with royal huntsmen and falconers. The house and the square where it was situated were named after a most charming Russian-orthodox church nearby: Церковь Спасителя (Tserkov Spasitelya) or Church of the Saviour.

In 1914, at the beginning of World War I, the house got its present outlook under orders of the wealthy merchant and industrialist Nikolay Alexandrovich Vtorov (1866-1918). The architects Adamovitch and Mayat constructed a villa in New Empire style, with an impressive interior. The huge hall is over 20 meters long and is characterised by a huge chandelier of Russian crystal. After the revolution, in 1920, the new Soviet government expropriated the house and started using it for official occasions. The first new tenant was the People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs.

In 1933 the United States of America and the Soviet Union  established diplomatic relations again. After the October revolution of November 7, 1917 the United States did not acknowledge the bolshevik government and exactly one year later, on November 7, 1918, they called back their ambassador. The embassy in Moscow was closed down on September, 14 1919. But in 1933 a new ambassador was installed: William Bullit (1873-1953). The Soviet government proposed to him three possible residences. He chose for the Spaso House. In March 1934 he moved in, and in 1935 the new ballroom was finished. In the summer of 1934 the first parties were held - they would soon have a special reputation.

One of the most notorious parties organised by William Bullitt in the Spaso House was the Christmas reception in 1934. Charles Thayer, one of the Embassy employees, colourfully described it in his book  Bears in the Caviar (1951). Ambassador Bullitt, who was not really impressed by the "party circuit" in Stalin's Moscow, had ordered his staff to organise a "unique" reception. "The sky's the limit", he had said. He went out of town himself and left the organisation to his staff. They hired some hundred rare finches, a little bear, cocks and other animals from the farm, an orchestra from Prague, flowers from Helsinki, paté from Strasbourg, a sword dancer from Tbilisi, and much more unusual things to impress the Soviet guests.

Almost every important member of the Politburo was present at the party, along with the crème-de-le-crème of the artistic elite.

During the party the upper lights all of the sudden went out, and the attendees saw three big black sea lions crawl from the bathroom into the reception hall. One of them was holding on its nose a little Christmas tree, while skillfully balancing it, the other held a tray with glasses and the third a bottle of champagne. Then they tossed balls at each other and played accordions. Suddenly the animal trainer from the Moscow circus, who had one too many, suddenly knocked off his feet. "The artists" felt right away that they were at large now and kicked up a real brawl. The other animals, borrowed from the Moscow zoo, reacted promptly. They also created commotion. The unhousebroken baby bear ruined a Soviet general's uniform, and hundreds of finches, also not housebroken, flew noisily about the high-ceilinged rooms during the party and for days thereafter.

It is no coincidence that Woland's ball takes place here. Bulgakov attended some of the receptions here too. Aftre William Bullit had seen The Days of the Turbins in the Moscow Art Theatre, it ad lead to several invitations to cosey evenings. Guests of the American embassy visited the Bulgakov’s in their apartment and the Bulgakov’s were invited to glorious feasts. After one of them, on April 23, 1935, Bulgakov and Elena Sergeevna were taken back home with a car of the embassy. It was during this ride that they met Boris Sergeevich Shteiger (1892-1937), the "stool pigeon" who was the prototype for Baron Meigel in the novel.

Metro: Смоленская (Smolenskaya)